Team Panthers has again managed to play well enough to NOT win another close-call game. I mean-Really? What is it going to take to get over this hurdle and start/continue winning games? Maybe I need to be in the huddle or at a meeting or on the sideline during practice to impart my jewels of football wisdom. I’m having a hard time separating my professional obligations from my personal/FAN perspective and frustration.

The first half of the game was stacked with lots of good and TONS of bad. Newton rushes for 2 touchdowns; Steve Smith broke the receiving record for the franchise (Congratulations), and the running game even seemed to have progressed since last week! Neither Julius Peppers nor Brian Urlacher made any significant plays…all really good things for Panthers football. Sadly, the bad seems to be the Achilles heel of the team.

Turns-overs, poor ball handling, lack of 3rd down conversions all contribute to this week-in/week-out self-defeat the Panthers continue to offer their fans. It truly is frustrating to watch Cam throw for 300+ yards every game and still come up short of a win. Mathew Forte single handedly picked apart the defense with his MASSIVE run game and the special teams and defensive touchdowns proved too much for the Panthers to contain.

The road to the Play-Offs/Super Bowl glory does not get any easier. Conference rivals challenge the Panthers in the next few weeks and in the south it always gets DIRTY. So womb licking needs to kept to a minimum because the real battle is just starting.